Monsters
by Emrys Akayuki
Summary: A Hero's falling out with the Batman. Oneshot


I stood across from the Batman, a frown marring his face, and pure rage marring my own. "What you did in there was inexcusable" he said, with disdain clear in his tone, I crossed my arms and stared at him, my expression unchanging.

"And what was that?" I replied, malice dripping from my words

"You tried to kill him"

"He's the Joker, he deserved to die" I took a step forwards

"Nobody deserves to die" His voice, monotone, as if this response had been programmed into him, a response, hid did not truly believe in, but yet could not find the power to refute. My anger built at this, it was always the same, wherever I went, whatever I did. These so called '_heroes´ _always told me I was wrong. Always told me, that I shouldn't do what I do, that I shouldn't protect those around me, if I couldn't do it right!

"He killed fifty people IN A WEEK" I screamed the last part, my anger overwhelming my sense.

Batman sighed, as if this particular conversation caused him strife, or more likely annoyance. He sent me a disappointed look, as if dealing with a child "You wouldn't understand"

I growled. "And why not?" I ground out with a less than curious tone. Having heard this all before, I'm sure I won't be surprised by the answer.

He took a step forward, oh, how _'intimidating' _the Batman is, I should be _'afraid'. _"We cannot lower ourselves to their level" he said evenly "_We_ are the good guys, the heroes, the people need a symbol to follow, and we are that symbol" he sighed, how difficult explaining this must be for him. "If we start to kill people" Batman continued "Then how can we be that symbol, how can we possibly _want _people to look up to us? To be inspired by us?" He sat down heavily in his chair and looked pointedly towards me "We _cannot _lower ourselves to _their _level!"

"WE WOULDN'T BE" I shouted at him, the anger still there, still rising. I let out a breath "You _say_ that, you ALL SAY THAT. That we can't lower ourselves to their level, that we can't be like _them_, that we're the GOOD GUYS" I turned away from him, showing my disgust clearly "Well, _Bruce, _I have never seen how I, would be like them!"

"By killing peop-" He started

"-By killing people, we protect others, by getting rid of the guilty, we make sure that the innocent can sleep at night. By killing people…" I tapered off, turning back towards him instead "By killing people, we can actually help others"

"We ARE helping others!" He all but screamed at me. I must've hit a sore spot there. "By putting criminals away, we-" I stepped towards him furiously.

"-By putting criminals away all we're doing is giving them A CHANCE TO ESCAPE"I threw my hands up in the air in frustration "I'd say that the criminals in this city are safer than the fucking citizens! They know, that no matter what they fucking do, all that bloody _Heroes _ are just gonna' smack them around a bit then give them A FUCKING TIME OUT, in a cushy, safe, _SHITTING_ cell, protected from _those of us!_ Who actually want to do something about them! Instead of letting them free to blow something up every FUCKING MONTH!" Electricity discharged from my body violently striking the floor around me, my abilities responding physically to my emotions, doing no damage but serving to create the intimidation I wanted.

The Batman stayed silent for a moment as I let out heavy breaths, and let the last remnants of my powers spark out into nothing. "…We do what we must" He began slowly "to help those that we can… and we must try to help, everyone, not just those you think deserve it" I stared at him, hoping that disbelief was showing clearly on my face.

"So you…" I started as slowly as he did, although the colder tone of my voice was enough to show where this was going "…Would rather help, one murderer than protect a hundred innocents, just because YOU MUST?!" I lifted a hand to my face, in freshly renewed frustration. "What kind of _Bullshit _excuse is that?" I said with as much venom as I could muster.

He frowned at me again "This is not an excuse, this is what is right. This is justice!"

"Justice?!" I all but screamed at him "Do you honestly think I care about fucking JUSTICE?!" I turned and waved my hand in a large gesture around the cave "Do you honestly think that the people, out there, care about justice?!" Batman opened his mouth to formulate what would be, yet another stupid response, so I cut him off once again "NO. Don't you dare say they do, don't you dare!" His mouth closed with an audible snap, the frown never leaving his face "I have lived in this city, as a powerless citizen, pathetic and helpless in the faces of these, these" I searched for the word "Psychopaths!" I sighed heavily staring into the glare of his many computer monitors, trying to collect my thoughts.

"I didn't care" I continued "I didn't care what happened to them, where they went, if they lived or not, I just wanted them gone, gone to a place where they couldn't hurt me, and a pathetically defended prison where each and every one of your enemies has broken out of is NOT that place!" I turned away from him again, too angry to look at him and form a coherent argument at the same time. "Unlike you, _Bats_ I don't care, what the public thinks of me, if they idolise or demonise me, I couldn't care less, because it's not my job to care! It's not OUR job to care!"

"We are here" I said "To protect those who cannot protect themselves… Not to help the bastards that kill them. Every time you put those bastards away instead of killing them, and then they break out and kill again… " I turned to glare at him " Then the people they kill? Their blood is on your hands, _you _killed them. And I personally would much rather have the blood of the guilty, of murderers and rapists on my hands than the blood of those who didn't _deserve to die_" I sighed again "I don't care if I'm called a monster. No, in fact, I would _much rather _be called a monster than a hero, because if being a monster means that I can protect those around me without worry that the evil I have stopped will just come back again? Being a hero, not killing, it's nothing but a way to protect your pathetic psyche while pretending to do good. All you heroes, you could do so much more, if you just became monsters. I'm not saying to kill everyone you beat up… just the ones that don't deserve the chance at redemption" I started to walk away from him, towards the exit of the cave "But there's no point in telling you this, you'll never change."

I left the base then, without turning to hear his reply, if he even had one, there was just no point "I think this partnership is over."


End file.
